Sunday, September 4, 2016

A New Third Party Candidate is Rising In The Polls: NEITHER For President

The year 2016 probably won’t go down as one of America’s great democratic moments, but maybe voters are wiser than their leaders. A growing body of polling evidence suggests that in a race between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, the candidacy of “neither” would win, perhaps in a rout.

A Monmouth University national survey published Monday asked whether voters had a favorable opinion of the Democrat, the Republican, both or neither. Some 33% had positive views about Mrs. Clinton only and 24% about Mr. Trump only. An unprecedented plurality of 35% responded neither, which means neither meets the 15% threshold to make it into the presidential debates. Can neither get a podium on stage?

Monmouth has asked the same question since 1984. The pre-2016 average for neither was 5.7%, dipping as low as 3% in 1984 and reaching 9% in 1992. Some 2% of voters this year have favorable views of both candidates, and we wonder who they are and where they are being waterboarded.